Why are you cast down, O my soul?

Psalm 42:1 As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
3 My tears have been my food
    day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
    “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember,
    as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
    and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
    a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
    and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
    my salvation 6 and my God.

Psalm 43:3 Send out your light and your truth;

    let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy hill

    and to your dwelling!

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

    to God my exceeding joy,

and I will praise you with the lyre,

    O God, my God.

These two psalms are to be studied together as they share the same refrain, found above in 42:5, and again in 42:11 and 43:5 - Why am I so upset, when my hope is in God?  Once again, David cries out as he is being pursued and persecuted and therefore cannot go to the tabernacle to worship. He longs to do so, and he looks forward to the time when rather than restrict him from doing so, others will lead him and join him into the presence of the Lord.  May we have such a passion for God's presence. 

Room for Repentance

Revelation 2:1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. '"

As we saw yesterday, everything we read in Revelation needs to be seen through the Grace of God in Christ.  Included in that grace is understanding that God gives it in love.  This church at Ephesus had well applied the grace of God in service, perseverance, and discernment, but they had gotten into a rut and lost their love for Christ and one another.  It is one thing to understand and agree upon what to "believe" and do; it is another thing altogether to comprehend the love of God and let it consume our hearts and lives. As we prepare for Christ's coming, there are a lot of things we will sing, say, and do.  Are they done in love?  

Given By Grace

 

Revelation 1:4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

As the apostle John began this letter to be taken throughout the circuit of churches, he begins with the usual Christian salutation: grace and peace.  But these were not gifts from him, but from God through Christ. This book is dedicated to Him as the One who loved us, died for us, and is coming for us.  These things need to be kept in mind throughout the book, even when both shocking and terrible things, as well as wonderful and worshipful events, will be shared.  Always keep in mind Who Christ is and what He's done.

Right Reactions

Jude: 17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Like Peter, Jude was concerned about the influence of false teachers upon this early church.  Though they shared a common foundation of faith, they were beginning to be affected by their apostacy. People within the congregation were turning back to ungodly lifestyles, twisting scripture, and causing division, which steals the testimony of the church before the world.  How should they respond? Avoid their lifestyle, do not approve it; but also have mercy on them and keep building each other up in the faith, praying fervently, and loving each other in a Biblical manner. Don't give them such sway over your reactions. 

Keeping This All In Mind...

II Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Having reminded these believers of what God had said in His Word, and warning them that false teachers would come trying to lead all astray, Peter now reminds them of the Lord's return to judge and to make a new heavens and earth.  With all this in mind he gives a final call to faithfulness on their part - one marked by purity, peace, and patience.  Only in that way will we be able to stand strong and stable, growing roots deep in the knowledge of God and bringing Him glory. 

Repeat Performance

II Peter 2:1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

The word "but" here shows us that a contrast is being made with the end of chapter 1: that God had sent His word, His truth, His revelation through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As in all of history, when God says or does something good and creative, there is a negative reaction which is false and destructive.  It happened at the fall, after Mt. Sinai, and in the early church, and it happens yet today.  People want their own way; they are greedy, and they do not want a Lord and Master.  Such a path leads to destruction, and they will want to take God's people out along the way.  They will want to make God's people look like the bad guy and do everything possible to make our lives miserable.  Peter goes on to give a very descriptive picture of what things are like for these false teachers (the rest of the chapter is a worthy read), but in the end their threat is empty.  Do not be discouraged by them.  Remain true to God and His Word. 

Set a Guard, Lord

 

Psalm 140:4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
    preserve me from violent men,
    who have planned to trip up my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me,
    and with cords they have spread a net;
    beside the way they have set snares for me. Selah

Psalm 141:3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;

    keep watch over the door of my lips!

4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil,

    to busy myself with wicked deeds

in company with men who work iniquity,

    and let me not eat of their delicacies!

In both of these psalms of David we see again that recurrent theme: "Lord, protect me from those who are out to get me. " As we have seen before, this was more than a perceived threat; David was often pursued by his enemies on both sides.  In the former psalm David cries out to God, sure that He will hear him again, confident in His justice and mercy.  In the second, the threat from outside is still there as he asks God to "give ear to his voice," but David is also very aware of something else he needs to be guarded against: himself.  His own heart, thoughts, words, and actions can do him in, unless he himself truly believes that God is in charge.  So, David once again cries out: "Guard me from the trap!" May He guard us today.

Search Me, O God!

Psalm 139

1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

Many are familiar with the words above.  If you are not, welcome to a wonderful psalm that combines the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God with His love and concern for each and every one of us.  The psalmist goes on to note that there is nowhere one can hide from God; He is and sees everywhere. That has been true all along: before anyone else could see us, God saw us in the womb and was involved in our development.  It seems unfathomable to the author that anyone could reject God, His love, and His involvement in his life.  After wishing judgment on any such infidel, the author looks within and begs: 

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

    Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting!

May we join him in that prayer today.

Keep on Growing...

I Peter 1:16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Like in Paul's letters to the Thessalonians, Peter was writing to a group of believers facing persecution. They had been exposed to the truth and trusted in Christ, but they were under pressure to turn away from the faith. Because of this, Peter gave no prolonged introduction but immediately reminded them to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. In short, they were to keep growing in Christ. Peter's foundation for saying this was to remind them (and us) of the source of his instruction: witnesses who saw and heard the Word of God - both Scripture, and the Word of God in the flesh: Jesus Christ. Stick to what you know to be true and keep on growing. 

Pray for Us!

 

II Thessalonians 3:1 Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. 3 But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. 4 And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

Throughout these two letters to the Thessalonica church, Paul had praised God for His work in their lives and prayed that they would continue in the faith that they had received after his ministry to them there. But Paul never shied away from asking others to pray for him and his missionary team.  It is a joy to be able to pray for others and see God work; it is an overwhelming honor to have others pray for you. Paul loved seeing God at work in others' lives, but he also found encouragement when he saw that God was also still at work in his own life, protecting him, teaching him more, being the object of the love of God.  Never be afraid or ashamed to ask others to pray for you.  It is a blessing to you both.  

Fair Warning

II Thessalonians 2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 

Paul now turns his attention to the second coming of Christ, just as he had in his former letter.  People get all excited when they think about this, and rightfully so.  But the things we get excited about are also the things we can get fearful about.  As followers of Christ, they had no need to fear.  There would be "fair warning" to His coming, including an obvious imposter. After describing the deceiver's delusion, Paul goes on to remind them that they were saved, being sanctified and sealed by the Spirit of God.  They were not to be shaken but stand firm and the faith and serve well until the Savior returns. The same is true of us.

Righteous Judgment

II Thessalonians 1:5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 

After a brief positive opening statement, Paul jumps right in to address the persecution that these believers were facing for their faith.  In his first letter Paul had written of the coming of Christ extensively, reminding them to live holy lives in light of that coming so that we are ready for His return.  As that persecution had increased, he now goes back to the other aspect of that coming: righteous judgment.  Their persecutors will receive what they rightly deserve, while they themselves, as believers, will receive the deliverance, the relief, the peace and rest.  But most of all God will receive the Glory that He deserves. Based on this, Paul prays for the grace we need to remain steadfast in hope and sanctified in our living. 

Diligent Waiting

 I Thessalonians 5:12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.  Be at peace among yourselves.  And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit.  Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good.  Abstain from every form of evil.

The end of chapter 4 and beginning of chapter 5 are all about the return of Christ, but Paul does not want the believers to slack off which waiting for Him to come back.  Waiting is an active thing. Positively, it means respect, love, encouragement, patience, doing good, rejoicing, praying, giving thanks, and clinging to sound doctrine. It also involves admonishing slackness and abstaining from sinfulness.  The call today is no different today than it was in that one.  As much as we may be sure that the “signs of the times” indicate His imminent return, we cannot let down our guard, but must diligently wait.  

Wherever You Are!

 

Psalm 137:4 How shall we sing the Lord's song
    in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
    let my right hand forget its skill!
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
    if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
    above my highest joy!

Psalm 138:4 All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord,

    for they have heard the words of your mouth,

5 and they shall sing of the ways of the Lord,

    for great is the glory of the Lord.

6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,

    but the haughty he knows from afar.

In the past two psalms we saw what the pilgrims would sing when they got to Jerusalem.  What about those who were not able to make it? What about those people of God who had no temple to go to? Psalm 137 is a psalm from the heart of those who had been exiled after the fall of Jerusalem and Psalm 138 is a psalm attributed to David, who lived before the temple and was often on the run and could not go to the tabernacle to worship.  What we they to do? Worship God and sing His praises anyway, anywhere they were. They were to remember their calling to teach the songs of God to those foreign lands with foreign gods, even when those peoples mocked them.  The Joy of the Lord was to come out of their hearts and out of their mouths wherever they were.  May thanks and praise to God come out wherever you are today. 

4 

Praise and Thanks

 Psalm 135:1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord,
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 who stand in the house of the Lord,
    in the courts of the house of our God!
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing to his name, for it is pleasant!

Psalm 136:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

    for his steadfast love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods,

    for his steadfast love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,

    for his steadfast love endures forever;

We have now moved on from the Psalms of Ascent, sung by the pilgrims going up to Jerusalem, to those psalms sung together at the temple.  These psalms of praise and thanksgiving proclaim the goodness, greatness, and uniqueness of God. He is not like the wooden and metal idols of this world. Those are "dumb" in every sense of the world, and those who put their trust in them become just like them. God had shown them over and over again that He was much power powerful and personal than they; He is good in every way and always faithful.  May we view Him that way, and as a result, see His hand in our very lives. 

Remember Your Calling

 I Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.

Every church has its issues. None of us are perfect, so collectively that multiplies the potential issues. Though this church had a wonderful testimony, they were no different. So Paul gave them (and us) a friendly reminder of what God's plan is for us: purity, self-control, forgiveness, and love for one another. Paul goes on in the remainder of the chapter to point us to the coming again of Christ as a reminder and motivation to live this life looking to the next.  Failure to do so leads to a laxness in living holy lives, but anticipating His return helps us live daily to please Him.

More of the Same

 

I Thessalonians 3:11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Paul has already shared with this church how much he had been rejoicing over them in prayer, and how much he had enjoyed the time he had been with them and invested in them. Now that he had heard from Timothy that they were still continuing on in faith and love, he again slips into a prayer of blessing for them.  And what does he ask?  More of the same - that they increase and abound in love and holiness.  He reminds them of the ultimate goal: to live here and now with our sights on the coming of Christ, who will join us together with all the saints of all times and churches in the presence of God.  Whatever faith, love, and growth we have had in Christ, may God give us more of the same. 

Why We Do This

 I Thessalonians 2:3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

In this chapter Paul talks a lot about his ministry to the Gentiles, particularly the Thessalonians. Why did he and his team do what they did? What were their motives?  It was not Greed or the Glory of the praise of men.  It was because God was Good enough to Give to them this Good News of the Gospel to share, and to Give them the Grace they needed to do so.  They did it because they wanted to please God. The motives of these men affected their methods: how they conducted themselves and their ministry: with Gentleness. May we always conduct ourselves in like manner.  

What a Change!

I Thessalonians 1: 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Paul's first letter to the Thessalonian Christians is considered one of his earliest and most positive epistles. Those two descriptions may be related: man had not had many years to mess up what Christ had begun. These last verses wrap up a very joyful prayer by Paul over the testimony this church had before a watching world.  They had enthusiastically embraced the Gospel, been convicted by the Holy Spirit, repenting and turning away from their idolatry and life of sin, to follow Christ, living for Him, and looking with anticipation to his return.  As they did so, they were known for their love for one another, faithfulness to God's truth, and joy despite suffering for the cause of Christ. May we have the same reputation they did! 

What Would You Say?

John 21:20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” 24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

We are used to seeing personal notes at the end of Paul's epistles, but John's Gospel is unique in its form. He ends with a personal note.  Having shared some of his most memorable experiences with Jesus but keeping himself relatively unidentified as "the beloved disciple," he now mentions that he is that follower. It's enough to make you want to go back over the whole book to examine each event with that in mind. John's conclusion matches his introduction. Jesus is full of grace and truth (chapter 1); His testimony is true (chapter 21). There is so much more John could have shared. If you needed to write a similar length journal of your experience with Christ, what would you write, and what would be your conclusion? 

Why All the Hype?

Psalm 132:1 Remember, O Lord, in David's favor,
    all the hardships he endured,
2 how he swore to the Lord
    and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 “I will not enter my house
    or get into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes
    or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the Lord,
    a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Psalm 133:1 Behold, how good and pleasant it is

    when brothers dwell in unity!

2 It is like the precious oil on the head,

    running down on the beard,

on the beard of Aaron,

    running down on the collar of his robes!

Psalm 134:1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,

    who stand by night in the house of the Lord!

2 Lift up your hands to the holy place

    and bless the Lord!

As one reads these Psalms of Ascent, hopefully we are getting the sense of excitement and anticipation that the people of Israel had about going to Jerusalem to worship?  What was the big deal? God was going to be there.  Yes, they knew as we that God is everywhere, but there is a special sense of His presence when His people gather together at His place with His servants leading in worship. David, their great king, had that notion as he promised to make a permanent place for the worship of God. He was not trying to limit God or peg Him down.  He knew that for man we need somewhere to go, leaving behind the mundane things of life, to focus on God. When we do so together, it keeps us even more mindful of Him. 

A Progression of Thought

 

Psalm 129:1 Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”—
    let Israel now say—
2 “Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth,
    yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed upon my back;
    they made long their furrows.”

Psalm 130:1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!

2     O Lord, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

    to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,

    O Lord, who could stand?

4 But with you there is forgiveness,

    that you may be feared.

Psalm 131: 1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

    my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things

    too great and too marvelous for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

    like a weaned child with its mother;

    like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Above we find the opening verses of the next three Psalms of Ascent. (Each worth reading in their entirety; they are brief).  We can imagine the pilgrims to Jerusalem singing them consecutively, first bringing to mind the great affliction and opposition of their enemies against them, then moving on to cry out to God for mercy in the second psalm, and finally coming to that place of peace and quietness of soul in the third psalm.  It is a process, a progression of thought that we find often taking place in the longer psalms, and which indeed in reality takes place in our souls as we wrestle with God in prayer. There is nothing wrong with either of the first two in talking with God. He allows, even wants us to go through this process as we learn to listen to and trust Him more. 

What Does It Take for You?

John 20:24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Poor "doubting" Thomas.  He has forever been labeled by this one incident in his life and walk with Jesus. But he is definitely not alone.  In the next paragraph that meeting did take place, and just one look and a word from Jesus were more than enough: no touching necessary. We must be very careful about picking on Thomas, as we often do the same thing: asking where God is, why He doesn't do anything, or even acting as if He does not exist.  Our thoughts, words, and actions betray us.  Thomas obviously learned from this lesson - enough to stake his life on it, and he lived believing and teach that the resurrection is very real and very trustworthy.  Do we live that way? Talk that way? Think that way? 

Whose Friend Are You?

John 19:12 From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” 13 So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.

John spends an inordinate part of his Gospel on the final week of Jesus' ministry - about 40% of it. There is good reason for that, as His Passion tells a lot about His mission.  What is also interesting is how much time he spends on the interaction between Jesus and Pilate.  Pilate was the one who legally controlled whether Jesus was allowed to be put to death or not. As much as the religious leaders wanted to build their case and demand His death, the Roman official held the earthly authority to allow or forbid it.  All the evidence they had was insufficient, but the final card the leaders held was" Whose friend are you?" That is the ultimate question we all must answer: "Am I a friend of Caesar, or am I a friend of Christ?" The answer to that question will affect how we behave and misbehave.  Pilate proved whose friend he was. 

The Ultimate Rejection

 John 18:25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.

After the time with His disciples in the upper room and His intense conversation with His Father, Jesus went to the garden to pray and was arrested by soldiers and temple officers who had been led there by Judas.  Jesus totally expected this, and when Peter valiantly came to his defense with a sword, Jesus told him to back off.  Jesus then went through vigorous interrogation, beating, and a travesty of "justice,' being rejected by His own people and the supposed "servants" in His Father's house.  Even the High Priest, the only one allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, rejected Him.  Jesus was not surprised at all by these things. After this trial, one would think that calmer heads would rise to the occasion, as Jesus appeared before the Roman officials, but this did not prove to be true.  The hardest rejection of the day, however, was that of Peter and the others who had been faithful followers during His ministry.  Their abandonment was both a personal and vocational rejection.  They left Him alone to face the music, but they also were in a sense saying: "we don't think you can protect us," even though He had done so time and time again. Are we any different? 

Jesus Prayed for Us

John 17:20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me."

After the extremely emotional and intense time in the upper room, Jesus prayed this amazing prayer. He began by talking about His relationship with the Father, and how He had shown and told the message God wanted mankind to hear.  He then prayed for His disciples, who had been entrusted with that message, that they would be protected as they faithfully lived it out and carried it on for others to hear and receive. And then He prayed for us, and the ultimate purpose that He had in coming and passing these truths on. He wants us who believe to live out that oneness of purpose: trusting God, His Son, and His plan, together. He, and the Father, want us to understand the fellowship that the Father, Son, and Spirit share. They are, and always have been on the same page. Their Love is perfect, and when we live that out, others see it too. Jesus prayed that we would be on board with His plan and that we would trust Him and follow Him. Do we? 

The Hour Is Coming

John 16:32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Still in the upper room, Jesus was saying a lot of things that confused the disciples. He kept talking about "the hour." The chapter beings with Him saying: Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God, 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you. That was unsettling, but Jesus then promised to send the Holy Spirit, Who would guide them into the truth. Just when that settled them, He went on to say: “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” This raised a whole lot of questioning about where Jesus was going when, and why.  After promising them ultimate joy, Jesus then said: The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.  That is what the discipled needed to hear: that they would clearly understand His plan, and so they responded: "Now You're talkin'!"  It is at that point that Jesus makes the final statement above.  They were going to go through some tough times that would keep them unsettled, but in the end they would understand "the hour" had arrived; they would see the pieces fit together as He had promised; they would have peace. So can we. 

The Lord Does It

 Psalm 126:1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

    those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,

    the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 128:1 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

    who walks in his ways!

2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;

    you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

In these next three Psalms of Ascent, we find more reasons to praise God: restoration, family, physical blessings.  In all of them there is this constant theme: If the Lord had not provided them for us, we would not have them.  Our safety, our shelter, and our sustenance all come from Him.  As we head toward His house today to worship Him, may we be reminded of that. May we come to Him thankful, trusting, and looking to Him to provide again and again. 

Looking Up

 Psalm 123:1 To you I lift up my eyes,
    O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants
    look to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a maidservant
    to the hand of her mistress,
so our eyes look to the Lord our God,
    till he has mercy upon us.

Psalm 124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 125:1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,

    which cannot be moved, but abides forever.

2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

    so the Lord surrounds his people,

    from this time forth and forevermore.

These are three more Psalms of Ascent, sung by the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. As they travel they keep looking forward. As they move to higher and higher elevations they are always looking up. But they are not just looking up to see the first glimpse of the temple; they are looking up to God as they sing. Their hope is in Him. He is higher than the mountain and mightier than their problems.  They know that God can see them where they are and that His lovingkindness surrounds them on their journey, but also after their journey, when the return to life as usual. The point is: they need to keep looking up, and so do we. 

Required Repetition

John 15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Jesus repeated Himself often - not only because He travelled often and the audience changed, but because those that followed Him around, including the twelve, needed to hear Him say things more than once for it to sink in. We're the same way.  In the upper room there were certain topics Jesus repeated: servanthood, the Holy Spirit, obedience, fruitfulness, prayer, and His commandment to love one another.  This is what He chose us for; this is the life we chose when we follow Him, and these are the things we need to be reminded of over and over again.